niche

Let’s dive right into the Day 1 Lesson: Picking a Niche

The first question that you should ask yourself is what type of blog should you start? That is what I am here to talk about today.

The best and most trusted blogs are those written by people that have an actual interest or passion for the subject being discussed on the blog.

Ask yourself these questions:

What are my hobbies?
What would I like to learn?
Do I love to travel?
What am I an expert in?
Do I have any major goals that I would like to accomplish?

Now, did any of the questions above lead you to an idea?

Maybe you are an expert in crafting. I'm sure there are many people out there that would love to read about your crafts and creative ideas that you come up with.

Or, say you set a goal that you would like to run a marathon in 6 months. Maybe a blog following your journey to your goal would be fun and be motivating to yourself and others. You could transition your blog to your further fitness goals or possibly into a niche running site for new marathoners.

Perhaps you really like to travel. Start documenting your journeys, and those you have already taken.

Do you want to learn how to become a pastry chef? Write about your journey, the ups and downs on your way to becoming an expert.

Maybe you would just like write about your life. This is sort of what we do…we talk about our family, travel, and lifestyle products and services that make our lives better.

This is a 5 Day Money Making Blog Crash Course, so we need to talk about the money aspect at this point. We will get into this subject much deeper on Day 5 of the course, but for now, we need to touch on this subject to make sure you get going in the right direction.

Here are some of the most profitable niches for making money with your blog (in no particular order):

Lifestyle – This is sort of a broad category that will give you the flexibility to talk about many different things on your blog.
Travel – Travel is a popular subject and one that is highly researched online.
Health – We all want to live a longer and healthier life.
Weight Loss – A large portion of the population of the US is overweight. Many are looking for motivation and inspiration to help with this issue.
Fitness – We are always looking to get in better shape. This is a passion for many that could bring you many followers.
Inspiration and Self Help – The search for self-improvement is constant. If you like sharing motivation and self-help ideas, this niche could be for you.
Pets – People love their pets and they also love to network with other pet lovers online.
Investing & Personal Finance – If you are an expert in this area, maybe you could show others the way!
Technology – Whether it is the newest phone, flat screen tv, or new tech gadget, there is an endless supply of material to discuss in this niche.
Beauty & Fashion – I’ve found that you either have it or you don’t in this niche. If you have it, you probably already know it, and you should seriously consider sharing your knowledge with the rest of us…lol!

Here are some common pitfalls to keep in mind before deciding on a blog focus:

There are riches in niches. It is generally not a good idea to be too broad….say Sports for example. You will probably have much better luck if you focus on a particular sport, or maybe even a specific professional or college sports team.
Don't make your niche too narrow because it will limit your audience and your earning potential. Expanding on the sports example, don't make your blog about your son's middle school baseball team. While this may be a fun venture, it would be very difficult to get enough readership to generate any meaningful amount of income from your blog
Don't start a blog on a subject that you do not enjoy. Personally, I do not enjoy sports. It would be an enormous struggle for me to write about sports….even if I identified the niche is very profitable. Trust me, it will not be a sustainable long-term project for you.
Some niches are just hard to make money from. Make sure you clearly identify ways to make money from your chosen niche before you finalize your choice.

Do you have any ideas? If you do not have a clear idea, STOP now, and give this some deep thought. This is very important, so you don’t want to rush this step.

If you would like some feedback on if your niche would be worthwhile for making money, post in the Facebook GROUP with the #pickmyniche. Our supportive and knowledgeable group members will give you their opinion so you get set on the right path.

Example post to the group: #pickmyniche Hi everyone! I am starting my blog and I would like to get thoughts on my niche. I am a stay at home mom and feel I am pretty creative. I want to write a blog about kids craft ideas. Do you think this niche would be good for making money?

It is very important to get this step right, but don’t let the decision cripple you. Make a decision by tomorrow morning and go with it.

Tomorrow’s installment of the course, Day 2, is when the fun will start picking a name for your new blog!